“This is the worst I’ve seen in 15 years,” Rodriguez said. “There is no plan or action on how to promote all of the different things. They are doing absolutely nothing.”

Multiple tour operators interviewed by Skift, a travel news site, echoed Rodriguez’s sentiments. A spear-fishing company reported losing half his business in Cancun.

“Cancun doesn’t grow a tomato,” said the fishing operator’s owner, Alex Ojeda. “The whole population of the town depends on tourists. It’s a horrible place when it comes to planning. There’s no backup. It’s too big to fail.”

Employees of Mexico City-based destination marketing company and tour operator Kamino Tours saw the effects firsthand this year when they showed up at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism fair and a place to promote Mexican tourism to travel agents, hotels, and tour operators from around the globe.

“For the first time in 20 years, the Mexico stand was the most boring and plain stand in the whole fair,” said Bob Dijks, a manager at Kamino Tours. “Normally we would have a very eye-catching stand with big television screens showing amazing footage of Mexico. You would have a hostess serving drinks, coffee, tequila, and small Mexican snacks. You would have an entertainment team, mariachis.”

With Mexico’s tourism operators already fighting a negative worldwide image linked to violence, the lack of international marketing support means there is nothing to counterbalance this view, he said.

“The tourism board was an element to try to give people another perspective on Mexico,” Dijks said. “I’m afraid that’s going to disappear. There’s no funding. I personally don’t know who is going to take that over. Who is going to step up now and make sure Mexico keeps on being promoted?”